Moxibustion therapy is a unique health resource in China, which is advantageous by its irreplaceable effectiveness in treatment, disease prevention and healthcare. But, moxibustion therapy used in primary care institutions in China is far from the due role of this therapy played in medical practice. The authors believe that the heat-sensitive moxibustion (HSM) robot should be developed by integrating the manipulation of moxibustion therapy with modern artifical intelligence technology so that moxibustion therapy can be operated precisely and easily, deqi of moxibustion be effectively stimulated and the cost of its manual manipulation be reduced. Eventually, the technology of moxibustion therapy can be popularized in the primary care institutions to serve the health of the people. This paper introduces the creation of HSM technology, the research and development (R&D) of HSM robot, and its advantages, as well as the application prospects. It is anticipated that the R&D of HSM robot may speed up the development of moxibustion therapy worldwide.
灸疗学是中国独特的卫生资源，在医疗和预防保健方面具有不可替代的优势，但目前灸法在我国基层医疗机构远没有达到应有的普及应用。笔者认为灸疗技术要与现代人工智能科技相结合，研发热敏灸机器人，做到精准化、标准化、简便化施灸，高效激发艾灸得气，同时降低人力操作成本，才能快速普及基层、服务百姓健康。本文从热敏灸技术的创立、热敏灸机器人的研制、热敏灸机器人的优势及应用前景4个方面进行介绍，以期快速推动灸疗事业的发展。.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Heat-sensitive moxibustion; Moxibustion technique; Robot.